FAQ’s

We feed our puppies Royal Canin puppy kibble.  Changing a puppy’s food is very hard on their system so be sure to continue with the Royal Canin.

If you change a puppies food they can get diarrhea. Diarrhea in puppies is dangerous and can cause dehydration and the issues that can arise from that.

If anyone in a pet food store tries to tell you to buy a different brand it is because they make more money off of that brand.  If your Veterinarian tries to get you to switch to the brand they sell it is because they want your money.

If you want to change your puppy’s food to a different brand wait until they are 10 months of age and do it gradually as you change them to adult food.

For the 1st Month in the new home you should allow your puppy to free feed. This means put your puppy’s daily requirement in a bowl at breakfast and as long as you’re home and able to watch your puppy; he/she should have access to it.  After a month your puppy has settled in.  At this point it’s better to switch to a feeding schedule of twice a day, breakfast and dinner

We try to get your puppy used to this schedule because most people don’t have the luxury of being home at lunch time.  Keeping the puppy to this schedule makes the transition to their new home less stressful on the puppy.

You’re puppy is on a feeding schedule of twice daily (breakfast and dinner).

When you come and pick up your puppy we go over the amount of food your puppy should be eating.  You can also look on the side of the dog food bag and see the recommended serving size for your puppy.

It is normal for the first few days in a new home for a puppy to a slightly suppress appetite. As he/she becomes more comfortable with their new home they will eat better.  Remember the soft food provided with your puppy is only to be used as an enticement if your puppy hasn’t eaten anything by the 3rd meal in his/her new home and doesn’t want to eat their meal.

Your puppy drinks water only. Puppies don’t drink milk once they have been weaned from their Mother.  Milk and other liquids are not good for your puppy.  

Only let your puppy drink water.

Your puppy needs to be in a safe area when you’re not home or not able to watch the puppies (i.e. Sleeping, working, eating dinner, or otherwise out of the house). So your puppy should be in a crate, playpen or blocked off in a safe area of your home where they can’t hurt themselves or your things. You would never leave a human toddler running around your house unsupervised….the same goes for a puppy. They are toddlers and can hurt themselves if left alone to explore unsupervised.

As part of our Guarantee you are required to go to the Vet for a check-up within 5 days of the puppy leaving our care. This is an important visit for you as in this visit your Veterinarian will review your puppies health records and schedule your next Vaccinations as per the recommended vaccination schedule.

You’re puppy should be spayed or neutered between 6 – 9 months of age. At this age range they are mature enough that the surgery is routine and it is the age that most Veterinarians suggest it should be done.   Remember failure to spay or neuter your puppy between 6 and 9 months of age voids your guarantee.

Until your puppy has their 2nd vaccination and has had time for the vaccination to take effect, you’re puppy should stay to your home and backyard. That means no sidewalks, no floor of the Veterinarian’s Office, no Dog Parks, no other dogs or places other dogs have been. If you take your puppy around other dogs or where other dogs have been before they get their 2nd vaccination you risk the chance that they may get sick. In other words, “better safe then sorry.” Until the second vaccination is fully effective you’re puppy is not immune.

The best treat you can give your puppy is verbal praise, a pat in the head and love.

We don’t recommend treats for training your puppy. Treats should only be introduced once the puppy is older. The puppy’s system is just new and as a baby a change in diet remember can cause diarrhea and that’s not good for your puppy. So wait until your puppy is about 6 months of age before introducing any treats and never as a reward.

Your puppy would be fine to have a bath every 2 – 3 weeks. Puppies and dogs get smelly and dirty from their environment not from sweat. If they run through a puddle or roll in something to make them dirty or smelly bathe them

The key is to try not to bathe your puppy too much as they lose their needed body oil. When you wash or bathe them too often you wash of the needed body oil and they will get itchy dry skin.

**NOTE: ONLY use a puppy / dog shampoo. Human shampoo has a different PH level which can cause your puppy itchy dry skin as well.

Your puppy is on a Vaccination Schedule as prescribed by our Veterinarian.   As per this schedule, your puppy is required to have 3 vaccinations in the first year.  They will have had at least their 1st puppy vaccinations prior to leaving us.

A puppy receives their 1st vaccination at about 7 weeks of age, their 2nd vaccination which is a booster shot to the first at about 11 weeks of age and their 3rd vaccination is the Rabies & Distemper vaccination which is given at about 16 weeks of age.

Remember to follow your Veterinarian’s recommendations for vaccinations.

Your puppy has been de-wormed on a scheduled as per our Veterinarians instructions. Puppies and dogs eat things off the ground, and lick each other. It’s not uncommon for your puppy to get worms. It’s nothing to be too concerned about. If you notice worms in your puppies feces or suspect that there might be parasites, it is a good idea to get your Veterinarian to do a fecal float to see if any are there.  If there are parasites present, your Vet will give you some medication which will de-worm them again.

Step 1: Acquaint your puppy with his or her safe space. Show him/her the crate with the door open, maybe toss a piece of the Royal Canin puppy kibble in as an enticement to enter. Let the puppy run in and out freely for a little while so that they get accustomed to the space.

Step 2: You want your puppy to be comfortable in his/her new home so place the divider in the needed space to allow your puppy enough room to stand up, lie down and be comfortable. Put an old towel or blanket that is easily washed as accidents can happen. A toy is always nice as well so that your puppy has something to play with or chew on while he/she is in their bed.

Step 3: Your puppy will go to bed when you go to bed or in his/her crate when you cannot watch them. If it’s an extended period of time make sure to use water management, so take all the food and water away 1 – 1 ½ hours before puppy goes in the crate to ensure and empty bladder and bowel. If it’s bed time, puppy goes to bed when the last person goes to bed so 3 – 4 hours before bed no more food or water. That way puppy has 3 – 4 hours to empty out. If you put a puppy to bed empty they wake up dry. This also ensures that he/she will be able to last longer in the crate without you having to go to them to take them out. The odd accident will happen. Don’t get discouraged, they are babies and have to learn. You want to set them up for success and so water management is a key part of crate and potty training.

Step 4: It is normal for a puppy to cry in their crate the first couple nights. The key is not to go to them when they cry. If you do all you’re doing is rewarding bad behavior  If it’s the middle of the night and you’ve taken puppy’s food and water away 3 – 4 hours before bed the likelihood of them having to pee or poop at 2 am is slim.
If it’s 5 am and puppy’s been in his/her crate since 11 pm then it’s probably time to take
puppy out for a potty break. If you’re not ready to start your day do it quietly so they don’t think it’s
time to party. Put puppy back to bed in the crate after you take him/her out and go back to bed
yourself and get up at your normal morning time.

Step 5:Understand the young puppies need to go potty every couple hours so if you’re home make sure you’re taking puppy to the potty every 1 – 1 ½ hours to catch those accidents in the spot where you want them to happen. Whenever puppy leaves the crate he/she should immediately go outside. For the first little while you will need to pick puppy up and carry him/her to the bathroom. If not puppy is likely to walk out of the crate and go potty on your floor. So when his/her feet touch the ground they are where you want puppy to pottyv

Remember PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE every time puppy goes potty in the right place. When puppy has an accident in the wrong spot it’s not his/her fault it’s yours for not paying attention. If you catch puppy in the act quickly pick him/her up and take him/her to the potty and PRAISE there, then go back and clean up the mess on the floor. If the accident happened and you don’t know when, clean it up and watch puppy. It’s not puppy’s fault it’s yours.

Do’s

• Supervise your puppy at all time and if you can’t watch him/her put puppy in the crate
• Put soft washable bedding and a couple toys in the crate with puppy
• Get puppy used to his/her crate gradually during the day, letting him/her run in and out freely
• Take your puppy out to potty every time they leave the crate, even if puppy’s only been in there for 5 minutes.

Don’ts

• Don’t puppy in the crate with collars or leashes on as they pose a choking hazard
• Don’t put food or water in the crate with puppy as the point of the crate is to train puppy and use their natural instinct to not potty in their bed
• Don’t use the crate as a punishments place.

If the puppy pees on your floor it’s not the puppy’s fault it’s yours because you weren’t watching them close enough. If you catch your puppy peeing or pooping, make a loud noise, to distract them a bit and take puppy outside before you clean the mess up. That way puppy is associating being outside with that action. However, if you don’t catch them in the act just clean up the mess, the puppy has already forgotten what they just did and has moved onto doing something else. Praise the positive and ignore the negative.

Until your puppy is house trained try to keep him/her to areas of your home that are easy to clean if there is an accident. If you have area rugs roll them up until your puppy is trained. Carpet is very absorbent and puppies like it because if they pee they don’t get their feet wet. However it’s much more difficult to clean a rug or carpet so remove the temptation if you can or avoid those areas unless you’re watching your puppy constantly.

Puppies don’t have opposable thumbs and to test out the world as babies they use their mouth. If your puppy is chewing on something you don’t want him/her to you need to make sure they understand this is inappropriate behaviour. You need to show him who is boss otherwise he’ll think you’re his dog. So if he nips or bites on something you don’t want him to make a very LOUD noise which will redirect his attention enough that you can focus his attention on; something else like a toy.

If he is nipping at your toes or fingers make a LOUD noise like he’s hurting you a lot even if it doesn’t hurt. This will let him know that he’s doing something that hurts you. Use a very stern deep voice to say ‘NO’ to scold him. If he keeps it up then give him a time out. 1 minute in the bathroom with the lights off is sufficient. He’ll learn that when he does something bad he gets put in the dark place and associates that action with that punishment. Dogs are social animals and being secluded for 1 minute away from you in a dark room seems like an eternity to them which makes it effective.

When the puppy is with its mother and if the puppy bit its mother, its mother bites it.  Puppy learns very quickly that biting hurts and is bad and does not do it any more.

If puppy is with you and you allow it to bite and nip you or your children when it is little, it learns that biting and nipping is acceptable behavior and will continue to do it.  If your dog grows up to bite and nip, it is your fault not your dogs.